Great Plant Picks

Plant info online can be hard to rely on – either nurseries are stretching the zones and touting a plant’s greatness so they can sell more of them, or home gardeners are giving anecdotal information that is useful, but may not hold true in other gardens.

It’s a pleasure to have a strong resource like this that has been selected by a committee of leading professionals. I haven’t found anything on the site that I disagree with, which is rare and delightful.

If you’re in the Pacific Northwest and looking for an outstanding and reliable plant, definitely check out these lists of Great Plant Picks.

I’ve read about similar recipes in the past that have proven effective in other people’s gardens too. If this isn’t strong enough to keep your deer at bay, I’ve heard that adding cayenne to the mix can make your plants even less palatable.

Another benefit of using this on your roses? Milk and water mixtures are a natural fungicide, so you’ll have fewer pest problems as well. (More on natural pest control for roses here.)

Book Recommendations

Debbie reviews Bloom’s Best Perennials and Grasses by Adrian Bloom, and gives it a thumbs-up. I have Bloom’s books on heathers and on conifers, and his are books that I turn to again and again, for the photos, design inspiration, and insider info on plants that only a long-time professional would know.

Last but not least

About Genevieve

Genevieve Schmidt is a landscape designer and owns a fine landscape maintenance company in Arcata, CA. The owner of North Coast Gardening, she is also a contributing writer at Garden Design Magazine and has written for numerous print and online publications.

Comments

Gen, Thanks for the mention of my book preview. I’m definitely going to try Lauren’s recipe for homemade deer deterrant, it looks easy and sounds like it will not have the awful smell associated with many commerical sprays. For that reason alone, it’s worth a try.